Michael Arden, Carmen Cusack, Phylicia Rashad and More Among L.A.'s 28th Annual Ovation Award Nominees

Nominees for the 28th Annual LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards were announced today, November 2, on @ This Stage Magazine, where you can find the full list of contenders!

The ceremony will take place Monday, January 29, 2018 at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Center Theatre Group leads the pack with 31 nominations for their productions of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (7), Archduke (5), and Zoot Suit (4) at the Mark Taper Forum; Amélie, A New Musical (1), Fun Home (1), and Into the Woods (1) at the Ahmanson Theatre; and Dry Land (7), Failure: A Love Story (2), King of the Yees (1), and Vicuña (1) at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, along with Best Season.

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts follows with 19 nominations for their productions of For the Record: Scorsese - American Crime Requiem (10), The Pride (4), Merrily We Roll Along (3), The Encounter (1), and Best Season.

Geffen Playhouse ties the Wallis with 19 nominations for their productions of The Legend of Georgia McBride (8), Actually (6), Long Day's Journey into Night (2), Barbecue (1), Icebergs (1), and Best Season.

Rogue Machine garnered 12 nominations for their productions of Les Blancs (8), Dutch Masters (2), The Super Variety Match Bonus Round! (1), and Best Season.

Actors Co-op earned 11 nominations for their productions of 33 Variations (8), Our Town (2), and The Turn of the Screw (1).

Rubicon Theatre Company also received a total of 11 nominations for their productions of Gulf View Drive (10) and Sylvia (1).

Ebony Repertory Theatre gets 10 nominations for their production of Five Guys Named Moe.

Ovation Honors, which recognize outstanding achievement in areas that are not among the standard list of nomination categories, have been awarded to Noah Agruss (Music Composition for a Play, Bars and Measures at The Theatre @ Boston Court); Ahmed Best (Fight Choreography, The Echo Theater Company's Blueberry Toast); and Joe Seeley (Puppet Design, Wicked Lit 2016, Unbound Productions.)

During the 2016-2017 voting season, 263 productions were registered for awards consideration by 109 producing organizations, and 3,915 individual artists were evaluated. Of those productions registered, 92 were 'Ovation Recommended,' identified during their runs as scoring in the top quarter of all productions in the Overall Production categories. Voters cast a total of 7,068 ballots. This year's Ovation Awards eligibility period ran from August 29, 2016 through August 27, 2017.

LA Stage Alliance is a nonprofit arts service organization dedicated to building awareness, appreciation, and support for the performing arts in Greater Los Angeles. The LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards, founded in 1989, are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Voters are LA theatre professionals who are chosen through a vigorous application process each year by the Ovation Rules Committee. More information can be found at www.lastagealliance.com/ovationawards.